A multi-institutional team led by the Kvon Lab in UCI’s Department of Developmental and Cell Biology has identified a special DNA sequence, called a Range Extender (REX), that allows genetic switches known as enhancers to control genes from vast distances. Without REX, enhancers lose their ability to regulate genes across long stretches of DNA, sometimes leading to developmental defects. This breakthrough reveals a fundamental principle of gene regulation and may help explain how mutations in noncoding DNA contribute to human disease.
The study, entitled “Range extender mediates long-distance enhancer activity”, was published in the July 2025 issue of Nature.
Read the press release here.